Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Pairing Legras & Haas Champagnes with Chinese Food

Pairing champagne with Asian food? Yes, it's growing in popularity as diners move beyond red wines usually offered in Chinese restaurants. The richer, heartier dishes in Asian cuisine pair nicely with drier styles of champagne, while spicy dishes fare better with their opposites - sweet styles of champagne. On top of that, champagne bubbles rinse the palate of oils and the acidity cuts through fat while the yeasty qualities pair well with soy flavours.

I had a chance to try some exquisite Legras & Haas champagne, brought in by Lollapalooza, which imports wines, champagnes, and also curates dinner events. Thanks to them, I am able to give away on my blog anniversary a bottle of Legras & Haas. Results will be updated on that post!

The Legras & Haas family is located in Chouilly, an area with the Chardonnay Grand Cru classification for the production of exceptional wines. Francois Legras and Brigitte Haas started the house in 1991, and it is now managed by their three sons - Remi, Olivier, and Jerome.

They have 15 hectares of Chouilly vineyards planted in Chardonnay grapes, seven hectares of vineyards in Pinot Noir grapes in Riceys (above) - the largest wine-producing village in the Champagne region - and 13 hectares of Chardonnay grapes in the Perthois region.

The Legras & Haas Brut Tradition NV is a good match for cold crabs. The soft mousse and creaminess in the elegant, rounded Brut works especially well with the milt and roe. The BBQ pork seemed a little too sweet but matches the smoky brioche of the champagne. And the citrus notes sets off the rich and fatty pork just nicely while cleansing the palate.

We had a most excellent steamed fish (giant garoupa) that was clean-tasting and really umami. It went well with the finely balanced acidity of the Legras & Haas Blanc de Blanc, and the cilantro perks it up too. There's actually a champagne cocktail involving cilantro too. The spicy (and so delicious) Sauteed Frog Legs with Honey Peas in XO Sauce works well with a colder glass of blanc de blanc.

The Legras & Haas Blanc de Blanc Millesime 2002 Magnum is amazing. Most red wines will seem too dry for the Peking Duck sweet sauce, and white wines will struggle to stand up against the roasted meat. But the nicely aged but powerful champagne performs nicely.

The beef's umami flavours, richness and slight sweetness also go well with the savoury and mellow fruit flavours of the champagne.

Sweet yam paste with pumpkin

Ending things off on a sweet note.

"I've found that a bottle of good champagne can be a bit of a chameleon at the dining table," says Hian Tee. "The multi-faceted nature of a good champagne brings out different elements in the dishes."

Hian Tee founded Lollapalooza with two other childhood friends Chiew Huan Chong and Terry Koh. They translated their passion for food and travel to a wine import business and evening dinner events featuring handpicked guest chefs and unusual venues. They see that consumers' initial forays into champagnes often start with a focus on well-known houses, but now more Singaporeans are seeking smaller grower-producers offering subtle distinctions in style and terroir.

As an importer, Lollapalooza seeks out individuals and artisanal heroes who are proud of their trade and make no compromises. The founders' visits throughout France brought them to numerous houses, among which Legras & Haas stood out.

Check out Lollapalooza's website for the full list of wines and products they carry.
Thanks to Geri of Linea for the invite. Photos no.2-4 are courtesy of Legras & Haas.

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I'm Catherine Ling

What's "Camemberu"? It's the way the Japanese pronounce Camembert, the French cheese. First saw it in an anime series and it just stuck in my mind. It's such a huge leap for the Japanese to fall in love with stinky cheese, something so far removed from their own cuisine, but they have embraced it well. That's the spirit of adventure!

Yes, I unabashedly love all things Japanese - the food, culture, people and spirit. Foodwise, they often add their own twist to something foreign and create something totally phenomenal.

I currently do freelance writing and/or photography. My articles have appeared on CNNgo (now CNN Travel), Yahoo Makanation and Makansutra. I give the Foodie Lunch Pick on radio 93.8LIVE on certain Tuesday afternoons.

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All photos and text copyright reserved unless indicated otherwise. Have a query or see a photo you'd like to use? Just email me - camemberu (at) gmail dot com. Please credit the photo to camemberu.com and link back.

Meanwhile, いただきます！Enjoy browsing and leave me a comment if you know of great places to eat and see!